Santonio Hill coordinates urban outreach for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, and on this episode, he shares his big dreams for creating spaces where everyone belongs. Santonio tells Marcellino his wild journey — including the gang fight that shook him from apathy, his stint in seminary (or, in his words, “Catholic rehab”), and the fearlessness he gained as a FOCUS missionary. He also shares his reignited passion for music and rap, and he and Marcellino discuss the opportunities he has to carve a new path to Church unity.

Christopher Pesigan didn’t initially consider himself a “creative,” but as the Chief Operating Officer of Player’s Health, a sports risk management platform, he has learned that creative ideas need accounting and operations as much as they need art. He and Anthony explore the paradigm shift that changed Chris’s life — and the friend-turned-CEO who continues to challenge Chris in faith and career. They also discuss trusting God in daily decisions and leading with purpose rather than profit.

As always, thank you to our Patreon sponsors who make the show possible.

Jill Simons is the founder and creative director of Pink Salt Riot, a Catholic women’s lifestyle brand that definitely wasn’t part of “the plan.” On this episode, she and Marcellino discuss the plans God wrecked to make way for even better gifts, like her life as a wife, mother, and business owner. She tells stories from her days as a theater kid and shares vulnerable, powerful moments of trust as she navigates being a creative and rebel-at-heart.

As always, thanks to our Patreon sponsors who make this podcast possible.

Amanda Vernon and Fr. Matt Fase, CSC, co-authored When God Wrecks Your Romance, the unlikely story of two people who fall in love but are (spoiler alert) ultimately called to different vocations. Their conversation with Anthony covers the vulnerable places their writing took them to, and how their work — as a recording artist and a college chaplain, respectively — sheds light on their roles as authors. Amanda and Fr. Matt also share practical wisdom on discernment, not only for vocations, but also for creating art.

Thanks as always to our Patreon sponsors who make this podcast possible.

Wesley Bancroft believes that everyone deserves to know what they believe. On a mission to help companies discover their beliefs and operate more authentically, he shares the philosophy behind his work: knowing our “why” halts purposeless action and gives us radical direction. He and Marcellino dive into the experiences that shaped Wesley’s ideas, including his time at a Socratic high school, his conversion to Catholicism, and his work as a designer. He also lays out practical ways for listeners to start finding their central beliefs.

As always, thank you to our Patreon sponsors who made this podcast possible.

Freelance filmmaker Jake Brown joins Anthony on the podcast to explain how college party marketing and megachurch video production led him to where he is today. As he tells his story, Jake shares the lessons he learned from Protestant churches that use their services to make every second meaningful. He also reflects on the process of deciding to enter RCIA—while still allowing for the room to doubt, change, and keep learning.

As always, thank you to our Patreon sponsors who make this podcast possible.

This week, David Calavitta shares his thoughts on creativity and communication. As Life Teen’s Director of Design and Marketing, he has learned how to take every opportunity to communicate a message and make it extraordinary. David tells the story of his encounter with excellent design that taught him the value of intentionality in messaging. He and Marcellino also discuss what makes parish communication effective, which is the main subject of Life Teen’s upcoming Horizon conference. And, bonus, podcast listeners can get $30 off their registration for Horizon by using the code CCPodcast at checkout!

Thanks as always to our Patreon sponsors who make this podcast possible.

This week we chat with Dave Plisky, the Director of Marketing and Digital at DeSales Media Group who thought marketing was kind of bogus back in college. Along with stories of his forays into Quidditch and flute playing, he tells us how a good mentor, authenticity, and a little bit of Seth Godin helped him see how meaningful marketing can be. The same principles that altered his professional life have impacted his faith, too; he shares the way authentic relationships brought him to a deeper relationship with Christ.

Dr. Johannes Hartl, founder of the 24/7 prayer houseGebetshaus, breaks all the stereotypes: he grew up as a hippie/punk who admired the Church’s beauty; he’s a Catholic creating prayer experiences in ecumenical spaces; and he makes a German accent sound really nice. In this episode, he tells Marcellino about his first personal experience of God, which forever shaped his approach to religion, trust in providence, and prayer (he’s written twobooks about it!). He offers powerful insight into the role art plays in drawing people to God, as well as the way Gebetshaus has fostered unity among Christians through beautiful prayer.

Meet the guy who recorded a ten-minute voice memo describing his work for his mom. And, despite his best efforts, she’s still a little confused. Ryan Thomas describes the basketball camp conversion that set him on his life’s course, which included being inspired by St. Ignatius of Loyola to discern religious life and having Archbishop Chaput as his spiritual director (nbd). These experiences created the foundation he works from—mentorship, interiority, and letting his faith permeate his work. Ryan is now working on a Blockchain-based payment and donation system and has a book about Our Lady of Guadalupe in the works.

Jeff Schiefelbein and Marcellino talk about Jeff’s life of business building, risk taking, and culture shaping. His life is story-worthy: not only is he currently the Chief Culture Officer of 5, an energy advisory firm, but he’s also started a few bands, danced off-Broadway without formal training, and founded a safe ride initiative at Texas A&M. As he shares these and many other stories, Jeff delves into the guiding principles behind his life, most especially the fearlessness to embrace awkwardness and create a life worth living.

Anna Carter, co-founder of the Eden Invitation, talks with Marcellino about the sense of adventure and community that defined her childhood—through books, family life, and her home parish—and has accompanied her throughout her journey. This “pilgrim faith” set Anna on a course of continual discovery; she tells the story of coming to understand her gender and sexuality, and how vulnerability about her same-sex attraction created even deeper relationships. She offers wisdom on everything from creating Trinitarian communities to living like you’re in Narnia.

In this episode, Tony Vasinda of Project YM tells Anthony the origin stories of Catholic Beard Balm and his up-and-coming card game Brandstanding. Tony explores the common threads uniting all of his projects and work: doing God’s will—and having fun doing it—while creating opportunities for people to be together. He shares his thoughts on supporting fellow artists (do it), meganspeaks.com (visit it), and detachment from finances (it’s the only way to live).

This week, Anthony sits down with Edmundo Reyes, the Director of Communications for the Archdiocese of Detroit, and (with some fancy microphones) they chat about Edmundo’s missionary enthusiasm. They talk about the retreat during his time in college that set Edmundo on a path to God and solidified the calling on his heart to be a missionary in whatever capacity the Lord wanted. This call guides his life; he discusses how God’s will fuels him as he pioneers the Unleash the Gospel campaign in his archdiocese, encourages the Church to be innovative and collaborative, and brings revival to Detroit. All of this, he explains, because he has “Christian FOMO”—he fears missing out on any part of God’s plan.

In this episode, Ian Cabrera shares how he went from A/V club dweeb to communications freelancer and host of The Convo podcast...so, like, still kind of an A/V club dweeb. Ian and Marcellino talk about the great and terrifying switch to freelance work—how it is freeing, exciting, scary, and kind of weird at times. They also delve into the time in Ian’s life when he was working at Costco and engaging in a nine-month Ignatian formation, a trying time that taught him to trust, wait, and beg God for help. Ian pulls back the curtain on why The Convo is a narrative-driven podcast, and shares his favorite stories from his time producing it.

This week, we talk with Angela Schnieders, a senior partner with Mission Advancement Partners, the director of mission advancement with ENDOW, a former FOCUS missionary and staff member, and all-around breath of fresh air. Angela dives right in, exposing the heart behind her work—a heart that’s seen the darkest nights and still seeks the magic of relationship. The cross of mental health difficulties has taught her what a full life looks like, and she delves into the ways that sharing deep, intentional life with others creates purpose. She shares wisdom on unhealthy cultural ecosystems, the necessity of presence in the body and mind, and the beauty of her recent marriage to Bill Schnieders. She brings practical tips to her deep, rich view of human nature.

This week’s podcast is a conversation with Dominic Ismert, a father of six children, an inventor and patent-holder for multiple products, and the founder of four companies (yeah, you read that right). Dominic delves into how he “does it all” by admitting he doesn’t do as much as it seems—he lets God take the lead. He shares the story of how an idea from God became a reality through persistence, and the frustrations that led him to create the crowdfunding site WonderWe. He offers insight into the fact that creativity flows from God’s abundance and the desire to create an ecosystem of support for the Catholic and Christian world.

Today, we talk with Joe Klinker, a father of three, the creator of Tiny Saints, and a seminary dropout turned Coast Guard communications director. Joe and Marcellino dive right in, talking about the move away from perfectionism into true expression and freedom, in both art and faith. Joe tells the heartbreaking, powerful story of how Tiny Saints came to be—and all the risks and joys of starting the business. He offers insight into what our art and faith need: wrestling, learning, humility, a search for truth that isn’t stifling or destructive to others. His journey away from a heavily apologetics-based faith life culminates in a profound story about learning to love his LGBT neighbors.

This week we speak with Scott Williams, co-founder of Sock Religious and the Director of Youth Ministry for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. Marcellino and Scott chat about the ridiculous ways people come to know Jesus better—cake, beard destruction, and of course, pope socks. Scott shares the ups and downs of running a small business, including his efforts to find balance as he raises his three-month-old son and build a company without letting it take him away from his primary vocation. He offers insight into entrepreneurial courage, especially the humility it takes to let others do what you can’t in order to be your best.

This week we speak with Mike Mangione, father of three, professional musician, and co-founder of The Cor Project. In this podcast, Anthony and Mike discuss the relationship between vulnerability and music. Mike shares about his experience with Peter Gabriel’s music as a young boy, he talks about the role of music in his Theology of the Body ministry with Christopher West, and he explains how he uses suffering and pain to play music out of a place of vulnerability.